Rotary feeder for nail-making machines



May 26, 1942. J. H. SNELL ROTARY FEEDER FOR NAILMAKEING MACHINES Filed June 13, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 26, 1942. J. H. SNELL ROTARYFEEDER FOR NAIL-MAKING MACHINES Filed June 15, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ll Ila hm I; 3] @A v 00 am hm. mm mm mm b \m Q3 A QS J. H. SNELL ROTARY FEEDER FOR NAIL-MAKING MACHINES May 26, 1942.

Filed June 13, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 26, 1942 i ROTARY FEEDER FOR NAIL-MAKING M'ACHINES J. Henry Snell, Brockton, Mass.

Application June 13, 1940, Serial No. 340,255

1 Claim.

My present invention is a novel and improved rotary feeding construction for use in connection with machines for making tacks, nails, and the like; and is an improvement on my prior invention of method and machine for making tacks, nails, and the like, Ser, No. 262,023, filed March 15, 1939, now Patent No. 2,223,233, issued November 26, 1940.

As illustrated and explained in my said prior application, it has been customary heretofore to feed strips from which blanks are cut, to be subsequently headed and formed into tacks, nails, and the like, at an angle to the cutting dies to provide for the point at one end, and material for the heading operation at the opposite end; and thereupon to oscillate such strip during successive cutting actions.

In my present invention, I have developed a machine which eliminates the requirement for such oscillating actions and provide a rotatable strip-carrier and feeder, thus allowing for continuous rotation and, hence, a high speed of operation, as well also as greatly simplifying the actuating devices because of the simpler rotary action as compared with the prior oscillatory action.

Furthermore, my present invention enables the strip-carrying mechanism to constitute itself a magazine or receptacle for a large plurality of strips, which are fed successively and automatically as one strip is used up and the new strip brought into operative position, which advantage both allows for a larger number of machines to be attended to by one operator, and also eliminates the waste of the metal in successive strips.

Both these features are of great importance and advantage from the manufacturing standpoint and,'furthermore, facilitate the high-speed and continuous operation of the feeder and consequently provide an increased output of the tackmaking and head instrumentalities.

In carrying out my present invention, I arrange for rotating the feeder which carries the metal strip, or strips, from which the nails, tacks, etc., are to be cut, and also to preserve the angular feeder, which is important and necessary in the die-cutting operation to enable the material out from each strip to allow for a point at one end, a head at the other, and the intermediate shank.

Heretofore, this result could only be obtained by oscillating the strip thru 180 between successive cutting actions to provide for the same bevelled cut on opposite sides of each individual blank, as will be readily appreciated.

Also, in my present rotary feeder I have provided means to automatically lift and slightly retract the extreme end portions of the metal strip from which each individual blank is cut during each successive cutting action. The importance of these feeders are to prevent marring or injury to the blank, eliminating scraping or dragging of the blank over the lower cutting die during the turning or rotating action, and to insure at all times a clean-cut edge, as has also been explained in my said prior application.

My present invention provides for this lastnamed operation by means of pairs of eccentric bearings and their respective raceway's, which result in positively lifting the carrier and feeder during the cycle of each complete rotation thru 360. During this cycle, the carrier is also retracted or moved rearwardly at proper intervals between each successive cutting action of the dies on the end of the strip being fed into the heading machine.

For this purpose also I provide one bearing with yielding means, permitting one of the pairs of eccentrics to effect a yielding'action relatively with the guideways therefor, as will be more fully explained.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my rotary feeder:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the same in operative position with a standardtype of tack-cutting and heading machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the feeding mechanism with the tack machine eliminated except for the outline of the cutting die;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View on the line 44 of Fig. 1, also enlarged;

Fig, 5 is an equally enlarged view in crosssection on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1';

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view partly in crosssection on the line B6 of Fig. 2;.

Figs. '7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are all crosssectional and partly diagrammatic views of successive positions during the rotative action of the feeder and carrier illustrating the lifting position due to eccentric pairs of bearings in their respective raceways.

As shown in the drawings in diagrammatic form, a standard type of nailand tack-cutting and heading machine is illustrated comprising a base I, carrying a pair of upstanding side brackets 3 in which a shaft 5 is journaled, said shaft carrying a fly-wheel 6 rotated by any suitable source of power, operating to reciprocate a movable cutting die It thru a rocker arm l4 actuated by'a link l6 mounted on an eccentric carried by the shaft 5. A fixed shearing die 20 is adjustably positioned to cooperate with the moving die III to sever a nail blank from the strip of material 2| being fed forwardly between yielding strip guiding and holding devices 22, all as more fully explained in my said copending application.

The strip 2| is fed automatically from a mass or stack of strips 22 carried in a magazine-holder 25 with mechanism for adjusting the angle of cut by the moving die l and shearing die on the extreme end of the strip 2| in operative contact with said dies and then retracted slightly between successive cuts, all as explained in my said copending application, reference to which is hereby made for details of construction and operation of same.

My present improvement consists in devising means to permit the magazine-holder and, consequently, the strip being cut to be rotated continuously from 360, instead of oscillated thru 180 as in mysaid prior application. Thus, by means of the rotating operation, greater speed and accuracy is obtainable, increased output and decreased expense in the production of the nailmaking machine, as well as in the capacity of my automatic feeder therefor.

The magazine and its associated parts for feeding a' bottom strip 2| from the stack or maga- Zinc 22 is mounted for rotation on a pair of upstanding standards or arms and 3|, the support 30 being bolted to an extending bracket 33 secured to the base I, being pivoted thereon by a bolt 35, see Fig. 1. The other bracket 31 is secured to a forwardly extending and movable beam mounted on the bracket 33. Secured to a portion of the bracket 33 is an arm 4| (see Fig. 2), having its outer end forked as shown at 42, to provide bearings 4343 for a shaft 44, said shaft carrying at its outer end a gear 45 and at the inner end a universal joint coupling as indicated at uniting the shaft 44 with an extension shaft 46 joined by a second universal joint coupling 5| to a shaft 48 mounted in suitable bearings 49 and 53 secured to the side of the base To the shaft 48 is a bevelled gear 55 adjustably attached by a collar 56 and set screw 51 to the shaft 43, (see Fig. 1), which gear 55 meshes with a corresponding bevelled gear 58 on a shaft fifl extending perpendicularly to the shaft 48 and held in suitable bearings El and 62, with the opposite end'of said shaft 69 carrying a bevelled gear 64, meshing with a corresponding bevelled gear mounted on a shaft 6%, to which shaft is keyed a gear 6! in position to mesh with each two cutting movements of the die It to shear nail-blanks from the end of the strip 2|. During these cutting operations the strip 2| is retracted slightly, as fully explained in said prior and copending application, and the entire barrel and strip are also raised slightly during the retracting action by two pairs of eccentrics, which will now be described.

On the arms or standards 39 and 3| are formed horizontal brackets 11 and 18 respectively. The upper part of the arms 3|! and 3| is in the form of an open frame 89 and 8|, respectively, each having a pair of vertical slide bearings 82-452,

see Fig. 4, with a V-shaped groove therein into which is fitted a correspondin V-bearing 85 secured to the barrel 25 by bolts 86-86, the vertical V-shaped bearing members 82 being adjustably held by pairs of tightening and thrusting screws 88 and 89 thru the sides of the open frames 89 and 8|.

Thus the barrel 25, to which the V-shaped bearings 85 are secured, may be raised and low ered in the slide bearings 82 during the rotation of the barrel. In order to lift the entire barrel 25 and its contained strips between each successive cutting action of the moving die H) at l the proper time during the 360 rotation of the a gear 68 on the drive shaft 5. A bracket H! to bracket H1 being mounted on the shaft 66, as

shown.

Thus, power is taken from the heading machine and the shafts 46, 48, and 6B operate in synchronism with the speed of the heading machine. The rotation of the strip-carrying member and attached devices is effected by the rotation of these shafts and the gear 45, said gear 45 operating thru a chain of gears 12, 13, It, and 15, the latter gear being secured to the barrel 25 and, hence, rotating the same in timed relation with the rotation of the shaft 5 on the heading machine. V V

Thus the barrel 25 is completely rotated during barrel, 2. pair of eccentric bearings are mounted on each of the brackets I? and i8 (see Fig. 3). These consist in frames 90 and 8| secured to the side brackets 17 and TS in each eccentric bearing, wheels 92 in the frames 99, and 93 in the frames 9|, each adapted to rotate and being attached, respectively, to the barrel 25 by bolts 96, see Fig. 3. Thus during the rotation of the barrel by the gear wheel 15 and its attached driving gears, the entire barrel is successively lifted and timed to effect this lifting action during each of the rotativ movements when the barrel has passed thru in its rotation and at a time just after a blank has been out from the end of the strip 2| by the die l6, thus lifting the strip fromcontact with the fixed shear die 25] and thu preventing damage or dragging of the metal in the strip 2| over the fixed die 2c.

The action of the moving die it is sufficiently rapid so that the shearing out can be effected without halting the rotative movement of the barrel 25 and attached parts. In order to facilitate assembling and permit the eccentric wheels 92 and 93 to act successively, I provide the top bearing member H36 on each of the frames enclosing the wheels '92 and 93 with means to yield, and for this purpose provide a pair of bolts |G| passing thru recesses in the top plates H36 near each end and being tapped into the sides 9| of the adjacent part of the frame members with a spring Hi2 encircling the stem of the bolts I BI.

Thus, while one pair of eccentric wheels 92 are operating to lift the barrel, the companion pair of eccentrics 93 will raise the top bearing Hi6 and vice versa when'the next eccentric Wheels 92 are lifting the same, the barrel itself being at all times held in vertical alignment by the slide guides 82-82 engaging the v-shaped bearing wheels 85' in the lifting and lowering of the barrel 25 and its attached parts by the eccentric action of said V-shaped Wheels 851 I have illustrated in diagrammatic forms in Figs. 7 to 14, the successive operations of these eccentric bearings during the complete rotation of the barrel 25 thru 360,.showing the successive lifting positions of the barrel 2?) and its attached strip. For this purpose the strip 2| is designated, which is thus'raised and then brought in cutting contact with the shear die 20 for cooperation of the moving die I0 during the rotative action 180 apart.

Thus at Fig. 7, the strip 2| is in horizontal alignment with the fixed shear die 20, whereupon a blank is cut and thereafter during the successive rotative action of the barrel and its attached parts the strip is lifted and it may be retracted slightly and then brought into flat position opposite down for a successive cutting action, as shown in Fig.'1l, whereupon another blank is cut from the end of the strip 2| and the continued rotative action of the barrel and strip, while it is being retracted and fed forwardly, follows the sequence illustrated from Figs. 12 to 14 when the barrel and strip will again b in horizontal position right-side up, as shown at the start of the cycle in Fig. 7.

Thus this rotative operation presenting successive surfaces for cutting at a predetermined bevel is equivalent to the prior oscillating action of the barrel and strip in my said prior machine,

but with the advantages incident to continuous rotative operation of the mechanism and, hence, higher speed and accuracy of the feeding and nail making mechanism.

I claim:

Rotary driving mechanism for nail-making machines of the kind described, comprising a blank-holder capable of continuous rotation thru 360, circular bearings for said holder, guides for said circular bearings permitting raising and lowering of said holder during continuous rotation thereof, a gear secured to said holder, a driving gear meshing with said first-named gear, means to maintain said two gears in mesh during raising and lowering of the holder, a driving gear laterally in mesh with said second gear, and means to rotate said driving gear from thesource of power actuatin the nail-making instrumentalities, and a universal joint connection between said power-actuating means and the laterally positioned driving gear.

' J. HENRY SNELL. 

